explaining to young child spaying our puppy
Question from Theresa Krey on 12/1/2013:

My spouse and I have an 8 yr old daughter, Rachel. We have a puppy who is scheduled to be spayed this week. We have been discerning how to explain this to Rachel. We want her to have a proper understanding of the sanctity of life and we have done our best at teaching her that all life is a precious gift from God. Humans are different than animals, of course. We need help on this one.

Thank you!

Answer by Judie Brown on 12/6/2013:

Theresa

Dr. Geraghty answered the very same question on another part of the EWTN Forum and
said:

Living things like plants and animals are given by God to man for the uses of man. Though
these creatures are alive, they do not have immortal souls. Thus man is allowed to eat a
plant or a pig but not another man. Many can also do things to animals that he cannot do
to other men. Neutering a pet is one of them. One does not do this out of a sense of
cruelty but out of a sense of preventing the inconvenience of having animals propagate
themselves without any control.